Good
by Piper Emerald
Summary: "You don't know what it's like to constantly have to fight who you are. I try to keep the darkness out of my heart, when, really, what good does my conflict bring?" Oneshot. (I own nothing.)


"Maddy?" Madeline turned her head at the sight of Jack, he sent her a warm smile that she couldn't return. "Is something wrong?" The concern that she heard in his voice made what she knew that she had to tell him all the more difficult.

"I gave up", she murmured.

"I don't understand", he said slowly, but they both knew that he had a pretty good idea as to what she was talking about.

"I gave up on fight who I really am, who I was meant to be."

"We've been over this", Jack's voice sounded distant.

"You don't know what it's like to constantly have to fight who you are. I try to keep the darkness out of my heart, when, really, what good does my conflict bring?" Jack put a hand on Madeline's shoulder, hoping that there was something that he could say that would nock some sense into her.

"You are a good person."

"No, I'm not. I'm made of pure heart ache, and it's time that I except it." Her eyes were clouded, as if her mind were else where.

"Madeline, please, I know you-"

"No, you don't. You never did." Jack tried to say more, but Madeline turned and ran from the room, he couldn't tell if she was crying or if she just wanted to be away from him.

* * *

"Well, I can't say that it's good to see you again", Hatter said with a smirk.  
"At least you still remember who I am." Jack pushed all emotion from his voice, maybe talking to her was a bad idea.

"I couldn't forget you, I'm not that heartless."

"Why are you doing this?" Jack asked, deciding just to cut to the chase.

"Take a wild guess."

"You're not going to win, good can't just loose."

"Have you ever considered that maybe I am good?"

Jack laughed.

"No, you're not. You told me so yourself."

"I'm still going to win." Her voice was cold, but not completely heartless. "And you and all of your friends are going to die."

"Do you really want that?"

"Do you thin I would be standing here if I didn't?"

"It's not to late to turn back. Please, Maddy."

"Don't call me that!" She snapped angrily.

"Hurting Alice isn't going to help you!"

"Yes it is. She's the reason that I'm like this, you're just to love struck to realize it."

"I loved you once", Jack tried to stop himself from saying those words. "Then you gave in to the darkness inside of you. But, despite how hard you try to hide it, I know that your soul still has light."

"It's time for you to go back to your cell." Hatter was about to leave the room, but leaned closer to Jack and told him one more thing. "I was recently informed that Alice was captured by one of my guards, and in a few hours I will have the pleasure of watching her, you, and all of your friends die." Jack gave her a horrified look, but didn't say anything. "Well there you go, see where good gets you."

* * *

Hatter hit the ground with a soft thud. It took her a moment to register what had just happened. She pulled herself up, and her hands coiled into fist at the sight of Jack. This was all his fault.

She saw her dagger lying on the ground, but Jack grabbed it before she could make a dart for it. "Give that to me, now!" She didn't care how childish she sounded.

"So you can stab me? No thank you." Jack said with a chuckle. He held the dagger away from Hatter, a small smirk on his face. Hatter glared at him for a moment before swinging her fist at his jaw.

Jack fell to the ground, rubbing the spot where Hatter had punched him with his left hand and holding the dagger with his right. Hatter made a quick lunge for the dagger and was able to yank it from Jack's grip. She pointed it at his chest.  
"Go ahead", Jack glared at her as he spoke. "Kill me." It sounded like a challenge, and Hatter knew that Jack didn't think that she would be able to end his life.

"You don't think that I can." Her voice came out as a soft hiss.

"Oh, I know you can", Jack grinned. "But you won't." Hatter raised the dagger, ready to plunge it deep into his heart. Jack's eyes were locked on hers, he didn't even flinch. Hatter stood up and dropped the dagger taking a few steps away from him. She expected to hear him laugh, but he didn't make a sound.

Hatter stomped her foot against the ground in frustration. "This is not how it's supposed to end!" She said to herself.

"I'm sorry", Jack said softly.

"No you're not. You wanted this. You wanted to be a hero not matter what the cost, and now you have what wanted so just shut up!"

"I wanted to do the right thing", Jack sounded as if he was almost regretting his actions.

"You're such a martyr!" To Hatter's surprise, Jack chuckled at her words.

"Yes I am, and that makes you a villain."

"I've been a villain my whole life." Hatter glared at the ground, unable to meet Jack's gaze.

"No", Jack took a few steps toward her. "You weren't a evil when I met you, and I don't think you really are now."

"You place too much faith in me, White Knight." She retorted dryly.

"We're stuck with each other for the rest of our lives, so you might as well get used to calling me by my name, Madeline." Jack noticed her flinch at being addressed by her real name.

"I'm not Madeline, not anymore. I put that part of my life behind me." Hatter looked at Jack as she said this, and was annoyed to see a smirk on his face.

"I know how hard you're trying to hide her, but I still see the girl that I knew those years ago."

"You only see what you wish you could believe", she snapped.

"Fine, I'll call you Hatter, happy?"

"Overjoyed", she said in a voice laced with sarcasm.

"Good", Jack said with a smile so fake that it made Hatter want to laugh. "I'm sorry that we're suck here." He lost his smile when he said that.

"I'm sure you are", Hatter muttered.

"I'm not joking, I wish there could have been another way for this to end."

"You saved your own neck, and the lives of your friends and Alice."

"I wouldn't call banishing myself saving my neck, but I did save the others from what you had in store for them."

"And is it worth it?" Hatter asked. "Was it worth loosing the little that you had so that you could be a hero for five minutes?"

"Yes, and the only thing that I ever had was lost years ago." Hatter saw a look of sorrow take over Jack's face.

"Don't lie to me", she said sharply. "I saw the way that you look at Alice."

"And you don't see the way I'm looking at you?" Jack took once of Hatter's hands in his own. "You don't know how much I missed you, how hard it was to go on without you."

"Jack", Hatter's voice came out as a whisper.

"Please, can we start again? Can you forgive me?" His voice was full of the hope that Hatter's life had been starved from.

"No", she said, her voice small. "I'm the one who needs to be forgiven."


End file.
